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Former Gloria Jeans Franchisee Speaks Out

As an ex-franchisee (yes, if you will pardon the pun I “saw the light” and got out) it disturbed me that we were given Targets for our “voluntary contributions”. In fact, we were required to audit the donations from our Mercy “box” on the counter and explain why were not at our required target every month. Everything this franchise stood for was, in one word, MONEY; and they would do anything in an effort to make more. It’s easy to feel Christian when you can screw your franchisees over 6 days a week and then go to Hillsong on Sunday and get absolution. This franchise is the single most evil facade masquerading as a Christian “feel good” company we ever encountered. Stay away.

There’s nothing wrong with a business chasing revenue but if “Paul Barista” is correct, Gloria Jeans’ franchisee’s are pressured to increase their takings for the Mercy Mission, a very scary fundamentalist group preying on weak young women.

I urge everyone to stay well clear of Gloria Jeans. Buy your coffee somewhere else. The more I learn about the way Gloria Jeans works, the more they sound like a scary fundamentalist group. Every dollar you spend there helps them financially support the Hillsong sect and their equally-scary offshoots like Mercy Mission. If we’re not careful, Australia could end up like the US, with right-wing Christian fundamentalist groups playing an increasingly large role in politics.

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Further to my initial comment may I add that my franchise was situated just outside of Melbourne and that I became, with my wife, franchisees in 2003. At that time, we had very little idea of Jireh’s (the Pty Ltd that owns the name Gloria Jeans in Australia) affiliation with Hillsong or that Peter Irvive or Nabeh Saleh were elders/senior members of the church. The alarm bells started rining on the first day of franchisee training when we began with a prayer for success and wealth and were introduced to the concept of good, Christian people who lived their lives according to the “way” receiving their rewards whilst on Earth rather than Heaven. Our in-store training occured in the Gloria’s directly opposite Hillsong where we were continually encouraged to attend mass. Once we built our own store, when we confronted Jireh over delays in rectifying the defects that were still evident from construction of our store we were immediately marginalized and increasingly victimized as we sought to correct same. We sold the store 4 years later with the defects still un-rectified and are currently seeking third-party mediation to recoup lost earnings due to the defects. During all this time we were continually promised by Jireh that our defects would be repaired yet nothing ever eventuated, despite every correspondence beginning and ending with the words and themes of “family” “values” and “together”. We know for a a FACT that money donated to Jireh via Gloria Jeans directly flows through to Hillsong. We know for a FACT that if you are a franchisee who does not actively participate in the Church you are ostracized and neglected by the “system”. We know for a FACT that we had direct and explicit promises made to us that were never carried through. In the end, we cut our losses and walked away from the franchise. I cannot stress enough how poorly the franchisees in general are treated by Jireh. I will never again spend a cent in a Gloria Jeans coffee store nor do I encourage people to become franchisees.